


Satori

by Serriya (Keolah)



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Children, Gen, Griffins, Original Universe, Telepathic Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-07-07
Updated: 2004-07-07
Packaged: 2017-11-14 05:56:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/512039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keolah/pseuds/Serriya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young boy bonds with a winged cat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Satori

A child's scream pierced the Kelletirandia morning. On the rooftop of a butcher's shop, a golden winged cat raised his head and leaped into the air, shooting toward the sound quicker than thought. His sharp eyes spotted the young boy -- he couldn't be more than ten -- falling from the Spire. Neither of them was old enough for the bond under normal circumstances, but the cat wasn't going to allow the poor boy to die like this. 

He caught the boy lightly, managing to stay underneath him as the kid wavered for a moment, disoriented. But the Windrider bond was established now, and only death or the strongest of magics could break it now. 

"My name is Satori," he tepped to the boy, speaking through their telepathic bond. 

The boy reeled in confusion for a moment before grasping Satori tightly around the neck, almost making it difficult to fly for a moment. "I'm Daren Ridgewalker," he murmured aloud. 

"You don't need to say it aloud," Satori tepped. "You can merely think it toward me and I will hear you." 

"But I don't have any telepathic powers," Daren thought. 

"You must have some latent talent," the large cat told him. "Or we'd not have been able to establish a bond at all." 

"Oh. Really? Well, thank you," tepped Daren uncertainly. "Does that mean I'm a Windrider now?" 

Satori gave a small mental smile. "That it does. What were you doing playing on the Spire, anyway?" 

"Well, it wasn't exactly my _intention_ to fall off the tallest building on the plane." Daren glanced over his shoulder toward the Spire, clutching tightly to Satori. "I had a bit of a run-in with some bullies. Half-orcs, unless I miss my guess." 

"Half-orcs threw you off the Spire?" Satori thought angrily, making a sharp turn in the air that almost unseated Daren. 

"No, please don't go back there," Daren tepped in a panic, his fingers digging into Satori's fur. "I don't want anymore trouble. And I don't want to fall off!" 

"I won't let you fall," Satori assured him. "Just hold tight. We can get a harness fitted for you afterward." 

Daren made no further argument, clinging to his back like a leech as Satori zipped through the air up toward the top of the Spire, where a wide balcony overlooked the city of Kelletirandia. The cat's sharp eyes could make out several figures on the balcony. They seemed to be arguing amongst themselves. 

As they came close, Satori picked out the biggest of them as their leader, an ugly, brutish boy of perhaps sixteen, the greenish cast of his skin betraying his orcish parentage. Satori let out a roar and dived toward him, claws extended. There was a shriek, and claws met flesh, blood dripping from his talons as Satori flew past. 

Circling around, Satori saw the large boy clutching his bleeding face, screaming and swearing. Several of the boys had fled to the safety of the interior of the tower. "You'll regret that!" the half-orc shouted. "You'll see!" He turned and ran off the balcony, leaving a trail of blood behind him. 

Daren was frightened, holding tight to Satori and shivering slightly, his face buried in the cat's fur. "Can we go now? Please?" Daren thought meekly. 

"Alright, alright," Satori tepped quietly, his bloodlust calming. "Where do you live?" 

"Woodland Court. In the northwest part of town." 

"Give me a visual," Satori prompted. 

"What do you mean?" Daren wondered. 

"Just think what it looks like to me," Satori tepped. 

Daren nodded slightly and sent an image of a small, white suburban home. "Did that work?" he asked. 

"Perfectly," the cat thought gently, turning and flying off toward Daren's home. 

* * *

"What the devil is this?" demanded Daren's father. "You aren't letting that -- that -- _beast_ into this house!" 

"But, Dad, I'm a Windrider now!" Daren protested. 

"Windrider. Pah. You're no elf." 

"It's quite alright," Satori tepped to the boy. "I much prefer sleeping under the open air, anyway." He flew off and nestled in on the rooftop. He could still hear the father's scolding as he drifted off to sleep in the warm summer night. 

Satori was woken in the night by angry shouts, and thought at first that Daren's father was really mad about this. When he raised his head and looked about, however, he saw a small army marching down the street from the south. Quickly, he skimmed their minds and discovered that they were after him and Daren! 

There were too many of them to fight off alone. He woke Daren telepathically and tepped, "Climb to the window and onto my back! We have to get out of here now!" 

Daren returned a groggy acknowledgment as he pulled on his trousers and climbed out onto Satori, who had flown down to pick him up. "What's going on?" Daren murmured. 

Satori flew off into the night, keeping low behind the houses and avoiding the open street so that they didn't see him leaving. "It looks like somebody's upset over that half-orc brute." 

"Who could possibly care what happens to that jerk?" Daren whimpered. 

He was speaking softly enough that Satori didn't bother telling him that he didn't need to speak aloud again. "I don't know. I didn't get a very close look. Too many of them for me to fight. I'm getting us out of town." 

Satori made for the north edge of town, where the homes gave way to farms and ranches, and eventually unbroken forest. Satori ascended above the trees and turned sideways for a look at the city, to see if anyone was still pursuing them. But all he could see in the area of town they had left was fire on one of the buildings.


End file.
